Category: harness racing

Harness Racing is typically divided into two styles of racing: trotting and pacing. This is referred to as the horse’s gait. A trotter horse moves its legs in diagonal pairs – in other words, right front and left behind, as well as the opposite pair the other way around. When pacing, on the other hand, a pacer will move its legs forward laterally – right front and right hind together; left front and left hind together. Pacing is more in line with the natural movement of the horse, than what trotting is.

Pacing races are the more popular type of race in New Zealand, especially when keeping betting in mind. Pacing is a more secure form of racing when placing a bet, as the horse is less likely to break into a gallop. Galloping is not permitted during Harness Racing, and the horse is taken to the sideline of the racetrack until such time as it has resumed pacing or trotting. This obviously typically results in a lost race – bad news for betting.

Major Races In New Zealand

Major races in New Zealand include the Auckland Cup and the New Zealand Cup. Derby’s are also held, and are traditionally designed for 3 year old horses. Popular Derby’s in New Zealand include the New Zealand Derby and the Great Northern Derby. Another favourite is the Harness Jewels race day, which takes place annually in late May and early during the month of June.

Harness Racing: A Very Special Breed

Due to the more technical aspects involved in mobile horse betting using harnesses, a special breed of horse is used. Standardbreds are the stars of the hour, and will speed around a track pulling a two wheeled vehicle closely resembling a chariot – known as a Sulky.

Standardbreds were initially developed in North America, and are also old favourites for pleasure riding and stunts at horse shows. Standardbreds are a hardy breed, and tend to be much more sturdy and muscled than other horses. They vary widely in height, and are the fastest trotting horse breed in the world. They truly are magnificent to see in action.

Their leanness and muscled disposition make Standardbreds ideal for show jumping too.

The Excitement Of Cheering Your Man Home

Few things beat the feeling of cheering your horse home, and especially so with Harness Racing. Various forms of bets may be placed, and the sky is the limit, even pertaining to the number of horses that may be bet on at a time.

A Quaddie for instance, is the lingo for placing a bet on a selection of 4 favourite horses running in a selection of 4 races. During Harness Racing, Quaddies will come into effect during the last 4 races of the day. The returns on this type of bet can be very attractive.

If you’re feeling generous, you may even opt to re-invest winnings from one race, into a bet on a following race. This is referred to as the All Up. The entire selection must obviously come in for a win, for this type of bet to yield a winning ticket.